Thanks. And yes, I’m very happy with it. It’s a 2012 S4; black with black leather seats and just over 47,000kms on the odo. I would’ve got a new one but in Australia there’s a massive “luxury vehicle tax” on these cars so it’s much cheaper to get second hand.
I’ve been looking at aftermarket parts already because I’m thinking of some suspension packages, better ignition systems and a few other things. It’s pretty good stock though. As I said I love the gearbox.
Just remember with all that downshifting that brakes are exponentially cheaper to replace than a clutch.
I’ve never downshifted into first while still moving as a means to slow down.
enjoy the badass new ride, and be glad you dint buy a mustang.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
Just remember with all that downshifting that brakes are exponentially cheaper to replace than a clutch.
[/quote]
Doesn’t wear the clutch at all if you do it properly. I’ve been driving a manual car for nearly 20 years. Clocked up over 250,000kms on my last car.
Really? It’s the most efficient way of driving. The only problem is your brake lights down go on when you slow so you have to be careful you don’t get hit by the guy behind you.
[quote]
enjoy the badass new ride, and be glad you dint buy a mustang. [/quote]
Yes, nothing beats the big three(Audi, BMW and Mercedes) for build quality.
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
Really? It’s the most efficient way of driving. The only problem is your brake lights down go on when you slow so you have to be careful you don’t get hit by the guy behind you.
[/quote]
I downshift to slow down, but not into first. It’s usually damn near impossible to get it in first gear while moving, and it’s not worth forcing it.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
Really? It’s the most efficient way of driving. The only problem is your brake lights down go on when you slow so you have to be careful you don’t get hit by the guy behind you.
[/quote]
I downshift to slow down, but not into first. It’s usually damn near impossible to get it in first gear while moving, and it’s not worth forcing it. [/quote]
Same here, the syncros on my car don’t like going into first even while just rolling.
Accelerator is to speed up, brakes are to slow down. Downshifting is to keep the engine in it’s powerband while slowing, so that if you do need to accelerate (light turns green) you don’t lug the engine.
[quote]Dr. Pangloss wrote:
Accelerator is to speed up, brakes are to slow down. Downshifting is to keep the engine in it’s powerband while slowing, so that if you do need to accelerate (light turns green) you don’t lug the engine.[/quote]
Pretty much. Although with a big, heavy front mounted engine it’s efficient driving to use engine braking to slow you down a bit. For example, instead of coasting up to the red light in third, braking the whole time you would downshift to second at around 2400-2600 rpms and then again to first. And of course this also keeps you in the sweet spot on the power band. Engine braking doesn’t effect lighter and mid/rear engine mounted cars as much but with the V8s I’ve driven it’s quite pronounced. Anyway, I’m really liking the S4. It’s used up a fair bit of oil though which is pretty common I’ve read. Just been looking around for some performance upgrades and mods. There doesn’t appear to be all lot in Australia.
BTW, anyone used one of these vehicle specific performance chips that plug into the car’s ODBII port? I have one for my a commodore and it’s okay but the one I had for my motorcycle was excellent. At least 15% low and mid hp/torque gains.
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
BTW, anyone used one of these vehicle specific performance chips that plug into the car’s ODBII port? I have one for my a commodore and it’s okay but the one I had for my motorcycle was excellent. At least 15% low and mid hp/torque gains.[/quote]
I dont know how much you’ll get with a NA V8 motor. I know on turbo cars, the software raises the boost, and youll see massive HP gains. It’s just not as easy to get power out of the V8’s with simple software.
If you decide to do something, get a specific Audi/VW tune from a reputable tuner.
http://www.goapr.com/
http://www.giacusa.com/
Personally if i were you. I’d get some nice wheels, adjust the suspension to look right, and maybe get a different exhaust.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
BTW, anyone used one of these vehicle specific performance chips that plug into the car’s ODBII port? I have one for my a commodore and it’s okay but the one I had for my motorcycle was excellent. At least 15% low and mid hp/torque gains.[/quote]
I dont know how much you’ll get with a NA V8 motor. I know on turbo cars, the software raises the boost, and youll see massive HP gains. It’s just not as easy to get power out of the V8’s with simple software.
If you decide to do something, get a specific Audi/VW tune from a reputable tuner.
http://www.goapr.com/
http://www.giacusa.com/
Personally if i were you. I’d get some nice wheels, adjust the suspension to look right, and maybe get a different exhaust.[/quote]
I’ve got the supercharged 3.0 liter not the v8. But yes, looking into wheels and a few suspension things. It’s pretty good stock though. But a little refinement would be nice. I’ve heard lighter wheels actually make the car feel a little lighter. Something to do with mass and centrifugal force or something. Stuff I don’t pretend to understand.
I’ve used GIAC chips and had good results.
On a NA car, they’ll advance the timing a bit. On a supercharged car, you can use a smaller pulley to get a higher charge.
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]Aggv wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
BTW, anyone used one of these vehicle specific performance chips that plug into the car’s ODBII port? I have one for my a commodore and it’s okay but the one I had for my motorcycle was excellent. At least 15% low and mid hp/torque gains.[/quote]
I dont know how much you’ll get with a NA V8 motor. I know on turbo cars, the software raises the boost, and youll see massive HP gains. It’s just not as easy to get power out of the V8’s with simple software.
If you decide to do something, get a specific Audi/VW tune from a reputable tuner.
http://www.goapr.com/
http://www.giacusa.com/
Personally if i were you. I’d get some nice wheels, adjust the suspension to look right, and maybe get a different exhaust.[/quote]
I’ve got the supercharged 3.0 liter not the v8. But yes, looking into wheels and a few suspension things. It’s pretty good stock though. But a little refinement would be nice. I’ve heard lighter wheels actually make the car feel a little lighter. Something to do with mass and centrifugal force or something. Stuff I don’t pretend to understand.
[/quote]
A pound off the wheels is worth significantly more than off the car. First it’s un-sprung weight which is bad to begin with (reducing unsprung weight will make the car behave better over bumps). Second, to accelerate the car you have to move the wheels laterally AND you have to spin them. Wheel weight reduction reduces 2 types of inertia.
[quote]DoubleDuce wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
[quote]Aggv wrote:
[quote]SexMachine wrote:
BTW, anyone used one of these vehicle specific performance chips that plug into the car’s ODBII port? I have one for my a commodore and it’s okay but the one I had for my motorcycle was excellent. At least 15% low and mid hp/torque gains.[/quote]
I dont know how much you’ll get with a NA V8 motor. I know on turbo cars, the software raises the boost, and youll see massive HP gains. It’s just not as easy to get power out of the V8’s with simple software.
If you decide to do something, get a specific Audi/VW tune from a reputable tuner.
http://www.goapr.com/
http://www.giacusa.com/
Personally if i were you. I’d get some nice wheels, adjust the suspension to look right, and maybe get a different exhaust.[/quote]
I’ve got the supercharged 3.0 liter not the v8. But yes, looking into wheels and a few suspension things. It’s pretty good stock though. But a little refinement would be nice. I’ve heard lighter wheels actually make the car feel a little lighter. Something to do with mass and centrifugal force or something. Stuff I don’t pretend to understand.
[/quote]
A pound off the wheels is worth significantly more than off the car. First it’s un-sprung weight which is bad to begin with (reducing unsprung weight will make the car behave better over bumps). Second, to accelerate the car you have to move the wheels laterally AND you have to spin them. Wheel weight reduction reduces 2 types of inertia. [/quote]
Exactly. That’s all the stuff I don’t understand that I was talking about.
I used 2 piece brake rotors on my old S4. Saved me 5lbs per axle. Never got around to replacing the wheels.
From what i’ve read those V6’s are great motors and should last forever.
[quote]Aggv wrote:
I used 2 piece brake rotors on my old S4. Saved me 5lbs per axle. Never got around to replacing the wheels.
From what i’ve read those V6’s are great motors and should last forever. [/quote]
I love it. It’s an awesome car. After dinner tonight I drove it around all my favourite places like a maniac and scared the shit out of my new girlfriend. I like to fly along in second or third and pulsate the accelerator in time with fast music. Great sound system.
Even if there’s cops/cameras around I love just going from 0 to the speed limit in a couple of seconds. Heaps of fun. 
The Porsche Cayman GT4
The Audi R8. My ultimate daily driver. I simply must find a way to get one of these fantastic machines. 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds. And of course the Quattro AWD. That’s the reason I fell for the Audi and went with an S4. The Quattro systems just hold to the road like glue. You can just throw the car around like a rag doll and she’ll just swing back and save your arse every time.
A pound off the wheels is worth significantly more than off the car. First it’s un-sprung weight which is bad to begin with (reducing unsprung weight will make the car behave better over bumps). Second, to accelerate the car you have to move the wheels laterally AND you have to spin them. Wheel weight reduction reduces 2 types of inertia. [/quote]
I’ve heard the ratio for wheel weight savings is about 10 fold for 17" rims. More so if you have giant wheels like 22s. So if you have 5 lbs off each wheel which is 20lbs x 10, so it would be like removing 200 lbs from your vehicle.
[quote]Jork wrote:
I’ve heard the ratio for wheel weight savings is about 10 fold for 17" rims. More so if you have giant wheels like 22s. So if you have 5 lbs off each wheel which is 20lbs x 10, so it would be like removing 200 lbs from your vehicle.[/quote]
Mathematically it would depend not only on the amount, but also on the distribution. If the weight is removed from a wheel (or axel or tire or brake rotor, est) the farther away from the rotational axes, the bigger the inertial reduction. So, 5 pounds off the tire tread > 5 pounds of the outside part of a wheel (where it touches the tire) > 5 pounds out of a brake rotor> 5 pounds out of an actual axel
And yes, if the wheel/tires/brakes are larger in diameter, the reduction could potentially be larger for the same amount of weight. But it still depends on where the weight is coming from.
I(for a rotational component)=MR^2 + MA
I(for a non-rotational)=MA
The bigger the R the bigger the difference exponentially. So yes, big heavy rims/tires suck for performance. In terms of acceleration.
[quote]pat wrote:
My new favorite Porsche… I love it, I want it, more than a 911, more than an M3 or M4, event more than a GT3.
The Porsche Cayman GT4
http://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/cayman-gt4[/quote]
Pretty sure I saw one on Saturday at Bondi Beach. There was an elderly man driving it. Either looking for gold diggers or a serious car enthusiast. I wonder what it costs to replace carbon ceramic brake pads and other the other fancy do whackers, insurance, living in mortal terror of a scratch. That’s the way I feel already with an S4. Not like the old Commodore. I sleep in that thing in a ute swag. Although I took the Audi up the coast on Sunday to see a new lady. Well, she’s new enough. I think she’s into it.
